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All the hopefuls addressed voters at the pork roast portion of the event in was Iowa’s version of presidential speed dating. Ernst gave each candidate just eight minutes to speak.

\"She rocks,\" Graham said of Ernst. \"You did the country a good thing by sending her to Washington. She promised to make people squeal -- they’re squealing. Particularly the men. When she talks we all listen. The thing I like the most about Sen. Ernst is when she talks about defending the nation, she knows what the hell she’s talking about. When she talks about boots on the ground, she’s had her boots on the ground.\"

Gov. Scott Walker (#1 in the early Iowa polls) works the crowd at the #RoastAndRide pic.twitter.com/UPMInRpuDm

— Michael Falcone (@michaelpfalcone) June 6, 2015

Walker also paid homage to Ernst -- while plugging his own presidential ambitions.

\"I love a senator who knows how to castrate pig, ride a hog and cut the pork from Washington, DC,\" he said. \"Now wouldn’t it be nice if she had an ally in the White House to help get the job done?”

And though the GOP candidates are battling among themselves for the Republican nomination, some also took their turn jabbing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

“There was recently a poll, earlier this week, that asked Americans who they most wanted to see debate Hillary Clinton. I was gratified that I won that poll. I really would be tempted on that general election debate stage to ask Hillary Clinton if she’s ever ridden on a John Deere tractor. I know she’s had a few photos ops. But the truth is, I think what we need to ask Hillary Clinton now is, ‘Mrs. Clinton, what else don’t we know?’”

Rubio added: \"I don't make $11 million a year giving speeches to special interests. And I don't have a family foundation that's raised $2 billion -- a lot of it from foreign interests. But my wife and I work to ensure that we have enough money to send our kids to a Christian education at a private school, and we have a mortgage we pay every month. But you know what my biggest debt is? It's not to a bank. It's to the United States of America.\"

Only Walker and Perry actually hopped on a bike on Saturday.

.@ScottWalker rolls up to the Harley dealership for @joniernst's #RoastAndRide. Going to be a good day. pic.twitter.com/5IacDkZX1h

— AshLee Strong (@ashlee_strong) June 6, 2015

Perry, who officially announced his presidential candidacy last week, took his own route to Boone, starting out, appropriately, in the town of Perry, Iowa. The newly-minted candidate rode a motorcycle that belongs to Taylor Morris, a Navy explosive ordinance disposal technician from Cedar Falls, Iowa who was injured while serving in Afghanistan.

A recent Bloomberg Politics-Des Moines Register Iowa Poll gives Walker an early lead here. The Wisconsin governor pulls in 17 percent support, followed by Rand Paul and Carson (10 percent each). Jeb Bush and Huckabee both garner 9 percent. Rubio and Rick Santorum each get 6 percent.

Besides delivering the Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address earlier this year, Ernst has kept a relatively low public profile during her freshman year in the Senate. And while the candidates who turned out for her “Roast and Ride” might be coveting her seal of approval ahead of the caucuses, which are set for early February, they are all likely out of luck. Ernst has already said she won’t be endorsing ahead of the contest.

Sat down with @SenJoniErnst at Machine Shed Restaurant in #Iowa -- her 1st national interview. Only on @ThisWeekABC. pic.twitter.com/I7jNNmFfno

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) June 6, 2015

ABC's Josh Haskell goes behind the scenes at the \"Roast and Ride\":

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